1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an omnidirectional drive system for transferring an object in any desired direction and more particularly to a drive system capable of simulating the ambulatory patterns of a human being which include walking back and forth, laterally or crabwise, and obliquely along a rectilinear or curved path.
2. Prior Art
Presently available land vehicles for use in everyday or industrial transportation rely almost entirely on the concept of "wheels" since it has been known for a long time that wheels are useful in reducing the resistance to movement. The use of such wheels for transportation purposes has been so prevalent that no user finds wheeled vehicles inconvenient, and our society depends fully on wheeled vehicles. However, conventional wheeled vehicles present certain disadvantages in that their movement and type of movement is restricted. In addition, conventional land vehicles have another disadvantage in that they cannot simulate the walking patterns of a human being and it would be useful in some situations that the vehicle simulate such walking patterns.
Generally, human ambulatory motion is considered to consist generally of three patterns. The first pattern is to move in the direction in which the human being faces, as during normal walking. The second pattern is characterized by rotation about the vertical axis of the human being as the human being walks or stays at rest. The third pattern permits a human being to selectively move in any desired direction while he faces in any fixed direction. These patterns of motion cannot be achieved by conventional wheeled vehicles.